Night With A Jewel
by Amadeo l'ange
Summary: After Game. Zidane meets Dagger in her room after the ending and everything seems fine, but it is all a flashback and there is trouble. Please R
1. Flash Backs

Night with a Jewel  
  
Zidane sat down next to a large fountain in Alexandria. He could see the castle. He could see the room where he and Garnet had spent the night of his reunion with her. "Why did I even bother coming back…?" he asked himself. Nothing had really changed since his return to Garnet after their year of separation. She was still the perfect princess he had known from the start. The princess that forgot him and went on to her own duties. There was that castle. The constant reminder of Garnet, which never ceased to quit overlooking him. He walked on as the memories of that night came back slowly. The cracks in the pavement never left the sight of his dazed eyes. It all came back to him, as if it were happening then. As he knew that he wished it were happening again. He walked on and ducked into an alley.  
  
The past came crashing back  
  
The crowds cheered, Garnet pounded a fist against Zidane's chest, and he smiled that smile of his. The encounter lasted only a little while before sunset came. By then, they were already in the castle. "My queen, would you like for me to find a room for our guest?" A nearby guard questioned. "That's okay. He will be spending the night with me." Garnet replied. Zidane felt a cold jolt run throughout his body at the words. He became excited on the spot, and Garnet could tell after she gave him a flirting glance. She clasped his hand in hers and began up a staircase to her room.  
  
"Oh, jeez." Zidane thought to himself. "This is more than I had bargained for."  
  
He continued following her. Oh, how he had missed her. Nevertheless, that was in the past. She was here now and that was all that mattered. She finally got to the top of the staircase, excited to have him. He was all hers and no one could take that away now. The grand door to her large living quarters opened with the help of two guards stationed outside. "Zidane will be taking your position of guarding me for the evening." she told them. Then she ushered them away for the night.  
  
They walked into her royal quarters and she looked around to make sure they were alone. "Why did you leave me for such a long time?" she spat out. Zidane was caught off guard by her quick change in attitude. "I…wanted to make sure." Zidane managed to say. "Make sure of what?" she said with her face to the window. A breeze came and ruffled her dress and hair. She looked as many royal officials do, but Zidane found it beautiful to him anyhow. "Why?" Garnet repeated to him. "You have so much here," he began, his head low, his face hidden by his long hair. He had thought of the words for nearly a year now, but they left him while in her shadow.  
  
"I wanted to make sure that you still…err…" he stuttered. "Cared?" Garnet said with a sigh. Zidane blankly stared at another far window.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Zidane,' she started. "I thought I had lost you. That made me remember the times when you lost me." Zidane gained his interest back. His sight slowly made its way back to her. She appeared to be straining with words, holding back tears all the while. "So many times I left you. I know how you felt…or at least I have heard. You took care of me while I was mute and watched over me as a friend, when I knew you were attracted to me." Zidane hated compliments, having never actually received an open one from her. He didn't want her apologies, but he sat still and took every word in.  
  
She pushed her tender face against the corner of the windowsill to hide her tears. He stood up and gazed at her, his angel. She needn't say a word to him, and he could tell she was having a hard time doing so. She wept over her joyous kingdom as so many rulers have. "Why do I keep comparing her to royalty?" he asked himself. "She is Dagger, my Dagger." was his only thought. "Dagger…" he finally said aloud.  
  
The tears were slung from her eyes as she turned and ran to him.  
  
For the second time in one day, he held his weeping love. He had to balance himself so as not to fall on the bed. He did not want her to think of him that heartless. He caressed her and ran his fingers through her hair. She felt like sleeping in his arms, but didn't dare to. He was hers now. She let out a sigh and sunk into his chest. Zidane lowered his head down and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
Zidane pushed himself off the brick building he had been leaning on. The castle still overlooked him. He crept out of the dark alley opposite of how he came to enter a loud bar. He came here often and knew most of the crowd. Blake even offered to buy him his drink for the evening, but he declined. The entire flashback had put him in a mood to do things on his own. He waited at his stool until Blake had retired for the evening and ordered his alcohol. "Man…" he thought to himself and kicked the counter. He couldn't believe how close she and him had once been. The amber color of his alcohol caught the attention of his eyes. The adventure had ended. He had succeeded in his orders from all royal officers. Steiner had even forgiven him for everything now. It was just time he should face facts, but he couldn't help but wonder what that girl was thinking in that far overlooking window in the sky.  
  
  
  
Okay, this is apparently a first chapter. The next I'm going to be going into a flashback of the actual night scene and possibly why they have grown apart. You'll just have to wait and see. 


	2. A Back Alley Bar

Night With A Jewel Chapter II – A Back Alley Bar  
  
Okay, I know I said I was going to tell about the night scene and all, but I later felt I was rushing into that. Expect it later.  
  
Zidane remained sulking in his lonely bar stool. "You okay, boy?" said the bartender once every quarter of an hour or so. Zidane would just let out a sigh and stare into the back of the bar where the bottles of alcohol were stationed. "Way to go, dumb ass. You follow a girl for months on end and look at you now! Sulking over an empty beer mug in a back alley bar." The familiar opening of a door behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Evening" greeted the bartender to his new customer.  
  
"Evening" the guest replied and took a stool next to Zidane. "Funny how we keep meeting in these places, Zidane." announced the guest. Zidane looked over to his side. "Freya! Heh, I guess us nomads are just attracted to the dung smell of these places," he said. "You are no nomad any more, Zidane, and you know that. Why have you stayed here so long?" Zidane let out a sigh. "Ah, her. That is what we all figured." Zidane sat up straight. "Yeah, but it's no big deal. I got roots here now. The Tantalus boys an' all."  
  
Freya wasn't surprised. She had known Zidane for years now and knew this part of his denial. However, what bothered her was that one girl could slow Zidane down. "So, what are you doing for money now days?" Freya said, hoping to calm him down. "The money from our journey so long ago has to be dwindling by now, especially since you gave much of yours to the rebuilding of Alexandria. "I do what I always have done," he began. "Bumming?" Freya said, jokingly. There was an odd silence.  
  
"Why didn't Queen Gar-…err…I mean Dagger take you in?" she slowly asked. "Wouldn't let her." Zidane said a little too quickly. "Yeah, I gotcha." she said. "Poor guy," Freya thought to herself. "He is never this quiet and down. 'Hey, Rat Face.'…What had ever happened to that Zidane?" Zidane glanced back at Freya. "So, how are you and" he started. "He's dead." Freya said back without emotion. "Oh…" Zidane said. "Sorry to hear that." Freya let out a sigh and took a shot of the brandy she had just ordered. "Yeah, it's okay. Romance just isn't my thing, ya know?" "Totally." Zidane replied. A thought came to Freya's mind. She couldn't help but ask. "Where were you all those months, Zidane? I know I remember you saying that Kuja had died when you attempted the rescue. So what were you doing all that time?" Zidane focused straight ahead and appeared to ignore Freya until he spoke, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." and there was again silence.  
  
Zidane was lying to himself again. Why did he have to do that? He never knew. The room started to drift away from him. The memories of a few months ago came back to him, cluttered. An old back alley in Treno came to mind. It wasn't peaceful. Screams of pain and fear came from it. Zidane saw himself in flashes of lightning on a humid summer night. He had been driven to the brink and someone else was there. It was all so painful to try to remember. More screams of pain. He couldn't make out who they belonged to.  
  
"Zidane!"  
  
"Dammit!" he yelled. He was sweating and cold. Freya was kneeled down next to him. He was on the floor. "Zidane! You're okay, thank God." Zidane stumbled up to his feet. "What…what happened?" he quivered. "You went out cold and hit the floor, Zidane. You were just lost in thought and you fell. You hadn't even shown any signs of life until just now.  
  
"It's getting worse," he thought to himself.  
  
"You should really get back home, Zidane. You need some rest." she recommended. "Yeah, I'll be heading back that way now. I'll be seeing ya around, Freya." and with that, he left the bar. He began his journey back to the new permanent home of Tantalus a few blocks away. "It has never been that bad before…" he thought. He continued walking down the murky streets of Alexandria. It was near midnight, but there was still the occasional whore and thief who passed him. "Best to forget about her. I never thought it would come to this degree. Is it even her, though?" This wasn't even about Dagger anymore. It was about whatever had happened on that late summer night in Treno, the city of gambling, sex, and drugs in Gaia. He couldn't remember anymore than what were sent to him in these dreams. He did, although, remember something awful happening there and delaying his trip back to Dagger.  
  
The rain started coming down as he came to the door of the Tantalus home. The door was open, of course. Why would such great thieves be afraid to? He had noticed that during his entire trip home he had not once thought about that girl in the window or her thoughts. He was in too much turmoil tonight to do such a thing. She probably hadn't given him a thought for weeks now, so why shouldn't he get a night off? He put it all out of his mind for the evening and allowed the alcohol in his body help him sleep.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, now I think I'm getting somewhere with the plot. I'm pretty sure this will all be NC-17 soon. Tell me how I'm doing, please? I'll give ya a cookie! 


End file.
